Today during CES, AT&T announced that in the near future, businesses will be able to pay the carrier extra money so that using their services won't count against your data cap.

On the face of it, this seems like a fairly consumer-friendly move. While AT&T hasn't announced the names of any companies that are going to make use of the program, you might see an app that allows you to stream movie trailers without racking up data charges, for example. Whenever you use sponsored data, individual apps will let you know (apparently), and that usage will show up as a separate charge on your bill.

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Whether this is a universally good thing remains to be seen. When the FCC set down rules for net neutrality, it sort of left out wireless networks, which is why AT&T is able to do this in the first place. While it's good news for consumers of products made by companies that are able to pay, it does mean that users may be discouraged from using services from companies that are either unable or unwilling to pay. Time will tell how it plays out.